Multiple health problems can lead to the development of congestive heart failure. These may include:

• Coronary artery disease (the narrowing of the arteries)
• Heart attacks High blood pressure
• Obesity Genetic factors / congenital heart conditions
• Viruses or infections Pregnancy (heart failure that occurs during or after pregnancy)

Heart failure can occur on the left, right or both sides of the heart, but generally starts on the left side. Left-side failure happens when the heart can’t pump enough oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body.

The heart is a muscular organ about the size of a fist, whose job is to pump blood throughout the entire body. The heart has two sides, right and left, each with two chambers: an upper chamber (atrium) and a lower chamber (ventricle). These four chambers work together in a constant cycle to circulate blood in order to keep the body functioning:

• The right atrium receives oxygen-depleted blood from the body and sends it to the right ventricle.
• The right ventricle then sends the oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs to absorb more oxygen. The left atrium brings oxygen-rich blood from the lungs into the left ventricle.
• The left ventricle then sends the oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body through the largest blood vessel in the body, the aorta.
• The circulated blood eventually returns to the right atrium and the cycle continues.

Congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. This doesn’t mean the heart has stopped working entirely, or is about to, but that it’s no longer doing its job adequately. As a result, people with heart failure often feel weak, tired or short of breath.

Congestive heart failure is a progressive disorder, meaning it grows worse over time. The early stages can sometimes be managed with medicines and lifestyle changes, which help reduce symptoms. Eventually though, an advanced stage of congestive heart failure may lead to the need for a heart transplant or VAD (ventricular assist device). The most common type of VAD is an LVAD (left ventricular assist device).

If you or someone you love has congestive heart failure, you’re not alone: About 5 million people are living with congestive heart failure in the United States, and approximately 10 million in Europe. But there is hope: therapies like LVADs can dramatically extend and improve quality of life for people with advanced heart failure.

Patients with advanced heart failure may benefit from an LVAD while they are waiting for a heart transplant. In the case of patients who are not candidates for a transplant, an LVAD can provide long-term support. Learn more about LVADs and how they work.

• Symptoms are no longer manageable with medication
• A patient has been hospitalized multiple times for heart failure issues
• The heart is able to pump only 25% or less of the blood it receives (normally it can pump 60% or greater)

For someone with advanced heart failure, even everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs can feel exhausting and leave them breathless. The three most common symptoms of the advanced stages of heart failure are:

• General fatigue Shortness of breath
• Swelling of the feet, ankles or legs

Other symptoms that may also accompany heart failure include:

• Coughing
• Difficulty sleeping
• Excessive, unexplained weight gain
• Swelling of the abdomen
• Loss of appetite or indigestion
• Nausea or vomiting Irregular or rapid pulse
• Heart palpitations

Patients with advanced heart failure may benefit from an LVAD while they are waiting for a heart transplant. In the case of patients who are not candidates for a transplant, an LVAD can provide long-term support. Learn more about LVADs and how they work.

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